Describe an animal you saw, which you find very interesting.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer 1:

Animals are the beautiful creations in the world. But most of the animals live in jungles and I had the chance to meet a few of them in the Maryland Zoo.

The giraffe is one of the most beautiful African animals and is distinguished from the other animals with its extraordinary height. There are different types of giraffes are found around the world and the zoo authority has permanently set a living space for one if the special kinds. The living area named Giraffe House is beautifully decorated like their natural habitats and made in such a simple way that the visitors can interact (like feeding or taking pictures) with the giraffes easily. They can feed the giraffes and also could take pictures and the kids are most entertained with the company of the giraffes.

During a weekend visit with my parents at the Maryland zoo, I saw the giraffes. They were amazing, particularly the baby giraffes. The giraffes are located in a corner of the zoo and thus it took much time for us to reach the spot. I have never seen giraffes so closely before and it was a great chance for me to get some clicks with the African beauties. I have also seen the other animals but liked the giraffes most for different reasons.

The giraffes are great to look at and the towering shape of their throat is the most attractive thing. I fed the little one as that was small in size. The large brown spots on its white body were stunning. When I was feeding the little one, another one (might be the mother giraffe) came closer to me. I had to look upwards to get the full view of the giraffe. The legs were thin and it was always chewing something. When I fed the little one, the mother tried to get some acacia leaves but could not reach me for its unusual height.

It was interesting to me as I could not get in touch with the other animals. Besides, the giraffes are not ferocious like the other wild animals. Moreover, the Giraffe House has feeding stations to feed them. When I fed the little one that did not show any unsatisfactory sign rather allowed me to brush its body too. My mother clicked the pictures for me. The majestic skin is adorable and felt smooth when I touched the little one. I wish I could have taken the little one as my pet!

Sample Answer 2:
My visit to Beijing zoo was interesting and I first met with a giant Panda. In fact, I had a dream to see a Panda from a close distance and it was possible after visiting the zoo. I was highly glad by watching Panda in a real-life setting as I only had watched them on television screens. Thank you for the question. Here goes a brief description of my ‘Panda’ experience.

Panda is also known as black and white cat-foot. In fact, this is a big bear cat and larger in size and shape. It is different from the other wild animals in some aspects. The black and white colour has brought a distinction on Panda. They are available in two colours – red and, black and white. I met the later one. The black and white panda is also termed as giant panda to distinguish it from the red one. This is a carnivorous animal but mostly lives on bamboo. They also take other types of grasses when they are in wild.

Beijing zoo was an outstanding place to visit a large number of wild animals. The zoo is like a traditional zoological park in China. It was established in the early part of 1900 and considered as one of the oldest one in the country. The zoo is also used for numerous zoological researches. It has another exceptional feature. It helps to conduct breeding of rare animals which are collected from different other countries. The zoo covers over 80 hectares of lands while there are some ponds and lakes to increase its beauty. It has a beautiful aquarium. The animal collections of the zoo are considered as on the of the largest in the world. It contains altogether 950 species of land and marine animals and they are 14500 in number. Due to its animal diversity, the zoo has become one of the most impressive places in China and a good number of people come to visit here annually.

Panda appears as the cutest animal in the world to me. Despite being a wild animal they do not have any aggressive behaves. They are calm than the other animals. The eyes are shaded in black and they have a round body. The hands and legs of a Panda are covered by black colour and rest of the back and the front side is white. As a result, it has become a distinctive animal among the other wild animals around the world. The shape and size of an adult panda resemble a large giant bear. Besides, some other pandas have a light brown and red colour. Pandas love to take bamboo, wild tuber, honey, eggs, fish, yams, fruits, banana, other grasses and prepared foods. But sometimes they also take bird meats as well.

This was interesting to me for many reasons. Before visiting the zoo, I had no idea how large they could be. I have watched a couple of movies on Panda, particularly the Kung Fu Panda. But after watching the animal from a close distance, I was literally amazed. They are great in shape and size. Their food habits are outstanding. They are mild in nature and loves peace. But I felt interesting when came to know that a female Panda is intolerant to another female Panda in her range. They spray urine to communicate with other Pandas and sometimes claw trees to let others know about their presence. This appeared an interesting feature to me. For all such reasons, Panda appeared interesting to me.

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q. What kind of animals do people have in their home?

A. Usually, pet animals are kept in a house for different reasons, especially accompanying the household members. But the range and preference differ from individual to individual. However, small four-footed animals like dogs and cats are preferred and popular as pets for homes. Sometimes people also pick rabbits or fancy rats as their pet animals. Further, some of the people prefer birds as their pets too.

Q.Tell me about an animal you saw which is very rare in your hometown.

A. There are some rare animals too like guinea pigs. Originated from the Andes, the animals do not have any connection with pigs and mostly they are used in laboratories to test different medicines and bring out the result. I have seen one of my neighbours having guinea pigs as her pet which is rare in my hometown.

Q. Why do people have pets in their homes?

A. People mostly have pets to get their company. Besides, they are useful for us too in some cases. When a dog sees a stranger, it barks and the homeowner becomes aware of the existence of someone else at the home. Besides, cats kill mice and protect the home from different mischief created by the tiny creatures.

Q.Do you think people do not respect animals these days? What about 10 years ago?

A. Currently, people have turned more mechanised than they were before. As a result, they cannot pay proper attention to their pets. They do respect the pets but proper attention are not provided for the hefty workloads. About 10 years back, people used to pass intimate moments with their pets, they used to bath and feed them every day by themselves, played with them but the events are rare or sometimes irregular in the current days.

Q. Earlier people used animals for their work. Now, what do people use to do their work?

A. With the advancing age, everything has become modernised and mechanised. Vehicles have replaced the animals like horse or buffaloes to pull carts or transport goods and men from place to places. Sometimes, they used dogs to hunt animals for meats, but now they are collecting processed meats from stores. Moreover, earlier there were horse races which have been replaced by car racing events. These days people rely on technological devices mostly to have their job done.

Q.Researchers are being conducted on animals, is this a good idea?

A. Studies are on the animals and I think it will be helpful to generate newer species or will help to sustain the extinct species. More research should be conducted over the animals as they are the part of our ecology and their improved condition will help to maintain the ecological balance too. Moreover, the wildlife, around the globe, is in danger and the research will help to discover the ways of their protection. If the research is continued and the results are implied over the animals, it will be helpful for the animals, human and the entire environment.

Q.So many animals are extinct these days. What do you think about this? Why is it happening?

A. Animals are of great use to us. But there are some people who indiscriminately are hunting down animals which are bad for the environment and for the humans too. Mostly the animals are killed for their skin and horns. Precious products and medicines are made from the animal skins and horns and thus poachers are killing them illegally in the jungles resulting in their extinction. It should be prevented strictly or the species will get lost forever.

Deforestation, new constructions, people’s greed and temperature changes are some of the others reasons many animal species are getting extinct. Global warming is a threat both to human and other species. We should take every measure to reduce the global temperature. Apart from that, hunting of wild animals should be completely banned.